MISSOULA — Four former Montana State Bobcats have extended their NFL careers, as the professional football league gets set to begin its new fiscal year on Wednesday.
Alex Singleton and Daniel Hardy signed new two-year contracts with the Denver Broncos and Chicago Bears, respectively; Troy Andersen had his contract restructured by the Atlanta Falcons; and Ty Okada received an exclusive rights qualifying offer from the Seattle Seahawks.
Singleton, who helped Montana State win consecutive Big Sky Conference championships in 2011 and 2012, spent the past four seasons with the Broncos. A two-time team captain, Singleton has started 49 games at linebacker for Denver and has led the team in tackles in three of his four seasons.
Singleton has totaled at least 120 tackles in five of his past six seasons and recorded a team-high 135 tackles in 2025. He missed just one game despite undergoing surgery for testicular cancer midway through the season.
The Broncos announced Singleton's new contract on Tuesday.
The Bears have not yet announced a new deal with Hardy, but he shared a social media post from NFL reporter Tom Pelissero that said Chicago is "re-signing (defensive end) Daniel Hardy to a two-year deal worth close to $5 million, per source."
Hardy was a second-team All-American for the Bobcats in 2021 when he had 77 tackles, 24 tackles-for-loss and 16 sacks. He was selected by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2022 NFL Draft but has found a role with the Bears the past two seasons. He's played in 17 games each of the past two years and was in on 22 total tackles in 2025.
Andersen, a Dillon native, has had his NFL career slowed by injuries. He missed all of the 2025 season with an injury, which would have been the final year of his rookie deal. However, the Falcons elected to restructure his contract to keep him with the franchise.
Andersen was a do-all star at Montana State, playing running back, quarterback and linebacker. In 2021, he was a first-team All-American linebacker after recording 147 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. He was selected by the Falcons in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Andersen has flashed big-play potential at linebacker in the NFL. He was named the NFC defensive player of the week in Week 4 of 2024 after leading the Falcons' defense with 16 tackles (nine solo) and an interception returned for a touchdown.
Okada, coming off a win in Super Bowl LX with the Seahawks, was in on 64 tackles last season. According to an article on the Seahawks' website, Okada, a defensive back, was an exclusive rights free agent, which is a player with two or fewer accrued seasons and an expired contract. Since Seattle tendered an offer, Okada can only sign back with the team.
He originally signed with Seattle in 2023 after a Montana State career that saw him finish with 179 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, three interceptions and 18 defended passes.
